Tears of Time
by Fillynes
Summary: The second installment in the Alice? series
1. Chapter 1

-Lillian POV-

"Lavender's blue, dilly, dilly, lavender's green,

When I am king, dilly, dilly, You shall be queen.

Who told you so, dilly, dilly, who told you so?

'Twas my own heart, dilly, dilly, that told me so." As I sang a sweet breeze washed over me and I could hear the echo come back to me from the forest bellow. It was as if all was at peace and all would be fine… Well… except that I had a strangle hold around Barasuishous neck.

Three weeks after Father had created me I had already entered the Alice game.

"I love to dance, dilly, dilly, I love to sing;

When I am queen, dilly, dilly, You'll be my king.

Who told me so, dilly, dilly, Who told me so?

I told myself, dilly, dilly, I told me so." I wrung my hands around her neck harder trying to break the fragile porcelain body Enju had made her. She thrashed and struggled against my grip but I wasn't going to let her escape so easily this time. Not after all the hard work I'd put into finding her.

"Li- lilly-" she coughed and spluttered

"Hey! Put her down!" Shinku flew at me and knocked me sideways. "Bara are you ok?!"

"I- I'll be fine." They were both rushing towards me fireing crystals and rose petals.

"Call up your men, dilly, dilly, set them to work" I continued singing "Some to the plough, dilly, dilly, some to the fork," If I could keep them distracted long enough then Jana and Laplace would have more time to do their work. I deflected as much of their attacks as I could but It's hard to keep track of them. "Some to make hay, dilly, dilly, some to cut corn-".

"Oh shut up" I felt the cold metal of Suigintous blade on my neck. She, Barasuishou, Shinku and Hinaichigo had surrounded me. Bellow I could see Kanaria and Suisesuki ready in case anything happened to the others or in case re-enforcements came. I sighed and let them lead me away.

"While you and I, dilly, dilly, keep ourselves warm." I murmured.

-Three weeks previous-

I slowly opened my eyes and sat up. I woke up in a dome of white crystal. I had a splitting headache and no memory of who or what I was before I was in here. As far as I was concerned I'd just sort of popped into existence. I lay down again. If I was going to be here any length of time I might as well be comfortable. As I lay there I waited for something to happen…

And waited…

And waited…

And waited…

And waited…

"Argh I'm bored!" I yelled in case someone could hear me.

"I'm sorry. I have left you in there a long time… but It's not safe to come out yet." Someone said.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Jana. I'm like you. I'm here to protect you."

"Oh… from what?"

"There are some bad people in the house."

"What house?"

"We're currently inside fathe-" Something made a crash noise and I saw a long dark shadow cast over the dome.

"Jana! Where is she?! Where did you take Lillian?!"

"Now, now Bara let's not get angry. Let's tal-" The sound of someone being hit followed this short exchange. Then a fight broke out. I stayed quiet and waited for it to pass...

-Present day-

I waited patiently in the school room on the third floor. I don't know why they insisted on keeping me in here. I've yet to work out how to pick the lock but it's not exactly a secure room to keep me in. I floated round and messing with objects in the room. I turned the chalk board into a board of honeycomb and the desk into a large yellow boiled sweet. It winds Jun up so I just do it to keep me entertained.

"Lavender's green, dilly, dilly, Lavender's blue,

If you love me, dilly, dilly, I will love you.

Let the birds sing, dilly, dilly, And the lambs play;

We shall be safe, dilly, dilly, out of harm's way."

"What is it with you and that song?" a voice came from the doorway. I looked over and Jun was stood there.

"What's it to you?" I replied. Just before he could reply I bolted and flew under his arm and into the school hall. I zoomed past the rows of doors and down a block of stairs before-

"Oi! Gum girl!" I heard someone say… I turned around but no one was there. I zoomed down a flight of stairs and kept hearing laughter…

"What the-" I bashed into a wall and small fragments of memories started to return…

I ignored them and focused on getting out flying through a fire door and out into a garden…

"Wow… talk about deja vou…" It all seemed so familiar to me…

-Barasuishou-

I decided I should get out of my box where I had been resting. I pushed up the lid so I could sit up comfortably. I straightened the crystals in my hair.

"Hey" Sousesukis voice came from next to me and as I turned my head I came face to face with the Blue clad doll.

"Uwah!" I was flustered being so close to her "I- I'm sorry I-" She didn't say anything we just…hugged… I… how am I supposed to react to this?!


	2. Chapter 2- A jig a waltz and a polka!

-Barasuishou POV-

I sat there rigidly while Souseiseki hugged me. My mind was racing. I'm not used to this sort of interaction with anyone. Her arms were wrapped around my neck and her head rested lightly on my left shoulder.

"Done" her voice eventually came. She pulled away smiling before taking in my flustered and panicked expression. "Ah… I probably should have mentioned it's a present." She looked down a little and I followed her eye-line. Around my neck was a small pendant that looked like a rose petal.

"What's this?" I asked a little confused

"It's something Father made. It will point us in the direction of other dolls. He says it can track Roza mysticas."

"Ah I see" It was really useful but "Was the hug really necessary? An explanation would have been appreciated beforehand…"

"Aha yeah I guess" She smiled "Sorry" I sighed and adjusted the pendant looking at it from different angles. "Oh, you'll need this to go with it too." In my hands she placed a small box. I opened it and inside was small mirror. "The mirror shows you which doll it's taking you to". I smiled as I inspected the small hand mirror and opened it. As I did my rose petal floated up and glowed a gentle blue colour. The image in the mirror showed the scene as it was now, me sat in my box and Souseiseki looking at me and watching my reaction. I smiled and closed the lid.

"Thank you" I said a little more cheerful now. We smiled at each other before the rest of the dolls appeared all sporting similar necklaces. Souseiseki put hers on and Shinku cleared her throat.

"Ok everyone, it's time we got to work finding Lillian again. Jun and Nori are looking after her original body after the second Father removed her spirit and heart." We all listened to the petite doll talk. "Suigintou, you last saw her heading for the human world?"

"Yeah." Suigintou said looking into her mirror. Her pendant (another rose petal) was glowing a pale yellow colour "looks like she's at the school now. She doesn't seem to remember a whole lot before the transplant."

"Transplant?" Hinaichigo asked

"It's how father explains what happened to Lillian." Souseiseki began "Like Shinku said they removed her spirit and heart and implanted it into a dolls body."

"So… she doesn't have a Roza Mystica?" Hinaichigo asked again

"Honestly where you not listening when father was talking to us earlier?" Shinku chided her

"No I was… I just don't understand…"

"Neither do I… I don't think any of us do Hina" Souseiseki said calmly

"So what's the plan desu?" Suiseiseki said shooting daggers in my direction

"We follow her of course maybe!" Kanaria said cheerily

"Yes but we also need to look out for Kirakishou… Schnee Kristall could be anywhere." Shinku said.

"I've been trying to get a lock on her Roza Mystica but nothing yet" Souseiseki said a little sadly

"I see…" I said as I took in all this new information. Since Lillian had been turned into a doll I'd been staying with everyone at the Rozen mansion. I wasn't exactly welcomed at first, obviously after the last time we met and I attacked them as part of the Alice game. I brought a hand up to my eye patch. I didn't need it, I knew that, but it helped act as a barrier to keep my emotions in check… that's what Enju said. "So… A sensible course of action would be to find a way to lock onto Kirakishou, keep an eye on Lillian and also look out for-"

"Me my darlings?" Laplaces Demon appeared dancing in one of the windows of the large room.

"Having fun demon?"

"Yes actually! This is the most fun I've had in a long time!" He chuckled and danced more spinning and leaping around the window panes to an inaudible song. "Want to come join me?"

"Join you where?!" Shinku said and drew her cane like a sword.

"Here!" he continued to dance and Kirakishou joined him and they changed from a lively jig to a waltz. I could just make out behind them the walls of one of the big ballrooms in this house. I'd had a look around after the chaos of Alice's resurrection. I watched them and took in the little titbits of information that Laplace was leaving us. Everyone else seemed on guard in case they decided to attack. I tugged Souseisekis sleeve.

"They're in the ballroom in the east wing." I whispered "It's the only one with roses that haven't bloomed in the vases. I looked to her and she nodded with understanding. "Could we cause a distraction so that some of us could go attack them?"

"It could be a trap."

"I'll go investigate."

"Like you said, we need a distraction." The waltz turned to a fast beat polka before anyone else spoke.

"Why are you here Demon?" Suigintou asked obviously irritated

"You'll work it out soon enough!" He laughed. Kanaria had seen me and Souseiseki whispering. She summoned her violin and looked to me. She nodded and raised it to play. She ran the bow over the strings releasing a highpitched note which broke the window. I took this as my chance and jumped out of my box and ran through the door to the east wing. Souseiseki was close behind me and we sprinted to the ballroom. I heard Suigintou flying behind us. I slammed against the door and it flung open. Inside Kirakishou and Laplace were still dancing.

"Welcome!" Come to join us?" Laplace started. I fired a set of crystals at them which broke them apart and I managed to entrap Kirakishous ankle in a crystal. "Well this should be fun" Laplace laughed.

-Alice POV-

Wait… I'm… Alive? Why am I alive when all the Roza mysticas have been ejected from me? I looked around and I realised I wasn't inside a darkness… I was sat in a pale blue room with a long mirror on one wall, a bed, a door and a small chest of draws. I got up off the floor and walked towards the mirror. Looking back down at me was a tall woman with long brown hair in a pink and white dress. Her face was hidden from me. On her left hand was a ring with a red rose gem on it. I sat in front of the mirror.

"Can you hear me?" We said in unison.

What's going on here…


	3. Chapter 3- Things aren't what they seem

\- Souseisekis POV-

When Lillian had been kidnapped by the second father it seems that Laplace had place a trap around the house. We were only allowed in the house and the garden. If we took a step outside this range we would be sent round to the other side of the range (as Hinaichigo and Suigintou have found out many times). We realised that we weren't getting out of here anytime soon. Soon Father divided the rooms between us keeping Bara and Enju away from the rest of the group of dolls. Father had also recognised mine and Baras friendship. One day he brought me into his old workshop.

"Souseiseki." He said gently "You and Enjus doll are good friends, right?"

"Y-yes" I said nervously.

"Good… I need you to look after her, ok?" I looked at him a little confused. "I'm not sure what but Laplace's demon has done something to her. She is weighed down with regrets as it is. Now she is confused about her relationship with Enju." I looked around as I listened. Last time I was in here it was just before I had been launched into the Alice games. I didn't really have a chance to look around. "Oh, and one last thing. Be nice to her but be aware she may corrupt you so be on your guard." There was a pause… "Promise me you'll look after her ok?"

"Yes Father… I promise"

His words rang in my ear as I finished attaching the clasp of the pendant around her neck.

-Dilly POV-

I felt woozie so I sat down by the pond outside. It was cooler her and Jun didn't seem to have followed me. I lay down and rested my head on the cool grass. I knew I'd get stains on my dress but I needed to rest. The world was spinning around me and my vision was blurring. The trees and grass started spinning and blurring into a blob of strange colours.

"Ow…" I moaned…

"Hello?" A small voice came "I know you can hear me."

"Father?" I murmured. I felt like I was being lifted up. I turned my head to see who was picking me up. I felt pressure around my waist. My vision focused and unfocused several times. Then I blacked out.

-Barasuishou POV-

I'd managed to keep Kirakishou entrapped in some of my crystals. She was fighting back trying to wrap me up in rose vines but Souseiseki cut them down.

"Aha! ahaha!" Laplace kept laughing. Suigintou lunged at him with her sword but as soon as she struck him-

"AHHH!" We fell through the floor.

Next thing I remember is waking up… somewhere… I was in a white room, white curtains, white everything! I was lying in a white bed being tied down with straps of some kind. Next to me was the only not white thing, a blue screen with someone on the other side.

"Hello?" I said hoping the person on the other side would respond. Nothing. So I waited. Waiting is easy for me now. Enju made me wait, now I was often left alone to protect the Rozen mansion while the others searched for Lillian. My days were often short spans of time punctuated by waiting. Souseiseki often apologised for this but I don't think she realised how used I was to it.

I stared at the ceiling. It was only now I realised I didn't have an eye-patch on. Looking around things looked a little clearer but I'd never really noticed a difference with or without my eye-patch. I heard footsteps approaching so I tried to wriggle out of the straps.

"So the patient is a young female, approximately thirteen years old. Madness, delusions, etc etc…" I closed my eyes out of fear. Playing dead I guess… "Hello?" The man's voice came. "Can you hear me?"

When I next opened my eyes I was in a front room. Across from me was a young girl with short choppy hair. She was sat on a red chair in front of a fire place as was I. I looked to her.

"Hello?" I said quietly. Her head snapped to look at me. She looked broken… I knew the look well. "Where are we?"

"Fathers room" she whispered quietly. She held a finger to her lips before looking back into the fire.

"I-" The world around me changed again.

"What's going on?" I murmured.

"Oh come on my darling" an eerily familiar voice came. I span around sharply to see Laplace's demon looking through a telescope with a small child at his feet. "You can't be tired already? It's only five past nine!"

"But bed time is eight!" the young girl protested as she yawned. "Mr Wabbit I'm sleepy!"

"I know I know just-" The world violently shook as I was once again thrown into another world.

"Bara?!" A muffled voice came "Bara?!" I could hear someone calling. "Bara please wake up!" My eyes slowly opened and I was in the bedroom where I had been sleeping. I was lying on the bed my box normally resided on. I slowly came to and realised my head was resting on Souseisekis lap.

"Souse-" she pulled me up and hugged me again… a real hug. I was too tired to resist. "Lapla-"

"It was a trap Bara. They escaped. Please, just rest for now."

"Ok…" The world around me faded and I slipped into sleep again.

-Souseisekis POV-

I felt the purple clad doll fall asleep in my arms. She was week after whatever Laplace had done to her in the ball room. One moment we were in the full swing of fighting the next she's lying flat on the floor unable to move. She looked like she was writhing in pain but I couldn't tell, I needed to focus on protecting her from the onslaught of vines coming at her from Kirakishou. I couldn't lose her now, I promised father I'd look after her. Suigintou managed to distract Kirakishou long enough for me to get Bara out of there. I carried her out of the room as Hina, Kanaria, Shinku and Suisesuki ran in to take over.

Now hiding in her room with the door locked I held her head a myriad of questions started zooming round my head.

Why was Laplace's demon acting so strange? Who was this second father? Where's Lillian? What happened to Alice to make her eject the Roza mysticas? Most importantly right now, what was happening to Bara?


	4. Chapter 4- Alice in wonderland

I sat at the window of the old mansion. It was starting to crumble a little. It's very strange that this used to be such a grand building. So full of life, full of people. And then slowly… they left me. First my children, then the staff, my friends… My wife was the only person who was loyal to me. She stayed with me. She promised she always would.

Alice…

Why did you leave me?

Why did you make me kill you?

I didn't have to do it… you made me do it. It's your fault.

It's your fault. It's your fault. It's your fault. It's your fault. It's your fault. It's your fault. It's your fault. It's your fault. It's your fault. It's your fault. It's your fault. It's your fault. It's your fault. It's your fault. It's your fault. It's your fault. It's your fault. It's your fault. It's your fault. It's your fault. It's your fault.

It's your fault Alice.

-Alice POV-

I'd been staring at the mirror for a long time trying to work out who this person staring back at me was. I'd ben sat for about half an hour? No… an hour? I'd lost track of the time. Suddenly there was a bang on the door… then another… The knocks became more aggressive and heavier. I moved back away from the mirror which was next to the door. I shuffled away and hid by the bed. I felt threatened. A strange feeling of dread and de ja vu washed over me. I slipped under the bed as a large man burst in.

"Father! Don't go in there!"

"Jana I can do what I like! This is my house!"

"Even so, it was your idea to regain her memories by locking her in her old room"

"Well if she was locked in where is she?" I heard them shuffle around as they started looking for me. I looked around the outskirts of the bed. While I could keep track of where the man was I assumed the other person in the room was a doll. If so and I was in the N-field she was probably floating.

I looked behind me desperate for a way out. Behind me was a small hole in the wall. It looked big enough to fit me through. I shuffled backwards and found that behind was a drop. I shuffled a little more to find a ledge. The toes of my shoes were scraping the edge of it. I could feel a cool draft blowing on my legs. It didn't seem safe… but then neither was here!

"Found you" the man had looked under the bed. He stared at me with hard, cold blue eyes. He reached a hand towards me. I've seen this before.

I remember now. I had lived here with my children and my husband before… One night my children ran away for their own safety… My husband had become a drunken mess. His dolls weren't selling, we had no money… he took it out on us… He…

"You killed me didn't you?" I said staring at the twisted form of my old husband. As I said this something pulled me into the hole and I felt myself drop to the ledge and then fall backwards down into the abys.

It was starting to come back to me… Yes my husband killed me, but he also put my soul into a doll to keep me alive. After that he went after my daughter Jana. She was ten at the time. My eldest son managed to escape and took my youngest, Dilly, with him. Jana had not been so lucky, he killed her too. He then also turned her into a doll.

But he never wound us up. He left us in the darkness together, we would sit there for hours on end not saying anything. From time to time we would get separated. At this time the darkness was highly unstable. This was before the other father had even started making his first doll Suigintou. Once she was created the darkness's started to settle. The second doll maker had a knack for the supernatural doll making it seemed.

We realised that there was another darkness when we heard someone crying. Loudly. We tried to get out of our darknesses, travel between them to see who this new girl was. How did she die? That sort of thing… Morbid curiosity I guess. We didn't know if she had died in the first place.

Thud.

I was brought back from my thoughts when I landed on something soft. I looked around. I'd dropped a fair way down. I sat up and looked more. I was at the bottom of a hole with a mirror strait ahead of me. It was adorned with eight small black onyx stones.

"That's the way to the other world". I looked at what I was sat on, it was a grey cat with a small top hat and a boy tie. "I wouldn't go there now. The rabbit's gone mad."

"Go where?"

"The world you came from. The world of the seven dolls."

"No… wait I came from this world. I was born here, I live here, I-"

"Yes yes YOU did. That body you're in didn't."


	5. Chapter 5-Maxwells Demon cat

We may regard the present state of the universe as the effect of its past and the cause of its future. An intellect which at a certain moment would know all forces that set nature in motion, and all positions of all items of which nature is composed, if this intellect were also vast enough to submit these data to analysis, it would embrace in a single formula the movements of the greatest bodies of the universe and those of the tiniest atom; for such an intellect nothing would be uncertain and the future just like the past would be present before its eyes.

—Pierre Simon Laplace, _A Philosophical Essay on Probabilities_

I'd just wanted to be a house cat. A simple wish, a simple want.

I had been born part demon part cat. My only friend being a strange rabbit like demon. One day he asked me if there was anything I wanted, so I told him my simple wish. At first he laughed. Then he decided to help me fulfil my wish. He told me he had been watching the lives of a doll makers family. They didn't have much, a small house in a rural area, a tiny amount of land. It was an interesting prospect.

"So, what's the catch?" I asked hesitantly

"Well…" He paused, considering things. "It looks like the father will go mad…"

"Would you discourage me from going then?"

"Of course, however I know you well enough to know you'll go anyway unless we find a better family."

"Aha, you know me too well old friend"

"Indeed. Shall we go see them?" I nodded excitedly.

We wandered over to this new world. It was peaceful, green, full of life! I looked around in awe at the wonderful place around me. We were floating over a small town. The roofs were made of straw and the buildings out of bricks and stones. As the houses became less dense and more fields started appearing I knew we were close!

"Ready?" My friend asked as we started to descend near another small stone house.

"Yes… I think so" I transformed myself into a small grey kitten and my friend took on his more human form. He put me inside a basket and knocked on the door of the house. I looked through the small holes between the straw fibers making up the basket. A small girl with blonde hair pulled back into a plait and a pink dress opened the door and looked up at us.

"Excuse me young lady, is your mother or father home?" The young girl shook her head at his question. "An older brother or sister?" She looked into the house and we heard the tapping of shoes across a stone floor. An older blonde boy appeared wearing a grey waistcoat, a white shirt and black trousers. "Hello, I have a present for your family." I took this as my cue to poke my head over the edge of the basket and look at the younger girl who hadn't seen me yet.

"Kitten! Kitty!" The small girl started trying to reach for the basket and I felt myself starting to be lowered to her height. She carefully lifted me out the basket before spinning to show me to her brother. "Stephen, Stephen look!"

"Haha yes Dilly, it's a cute kitten isn't it. Hey, Jana! Come see our new friend!" Another girl appeared in the door way. She had long auburn hair and wore a green-blue dress, a stark contrast to her blonde siblings. She looked at me a little afraid. Slowly she reached out to stroke my head. As she gently stroked me I leant into each stroke and purred happilly.

"See, not all kittys are bad!" Dilly said happily

"I guess." Janas voice was very different to her siblings. While her siblings had an inherently happy almost melodic quality to their voices, Jana was more monotone speckled with sad notes.

"May I leave her here? Our house cat gave birth to so many kittens we simply can't keep them all."

"Can we can we can we?" Dilly was practically begging her siblings and I could feel her grip around me tighten.

"Well we need to see what mum and dad say…" Jana said looking up to Stephen.

"We don't know when they'll be back though…" Stephen said looking from Jana to Dilly. Dilly was whimpering, she must have been about four so it's expected she'd want to keep the cute fluff ball I was pretending to be.

"Well… would you be able to look after her for today? I have to visit the next town over you see. I wouldn't be able to look after her while I'm there." The two elder siblings looked to each other before nodding in agreement.

"Just for today" Stephen said

"YAAAY!" Dilly hugged me close to her chest and ran inside with me. She sat me by the fire and ran around looking for something. I looked around the small room. It was a living room from what I could tell, there were five chairs around a table, a small box of sewing supplies, a small stuffed bear in one corner and a part finished blanket. "Here you go kitty!" Dilly ran back to me and laid a small blanket over my back and gave me a tiny chipped bowl with some milk in it. I started purring and lapped up the milk. Dilly just sat there smiling at me. Content.

I'd fallen asleep in front of the fire. By the time I'd woken up the sun had set and Dilly was picking me up to move me into her bedroom. She'd gotten a bigger basket to sleep in and had put the blanket at the bottom so I could sleep in it. She slipped into her bed and murmured a goodnight to me. I meowed in response before padding down the blanket to get it a bit more comfortable. Before I could start drifting into sleep again I heard the front door open. Jana and Stephen ran to the door and Dilly sat up in bed.

"Kitty" she whispered "Kitty, mummy and daddy are home" she picked up my basket and shuffled to the front door.

"Dilly, come here my special girl!" a woman's voice called. I stuck my head out the basket and in front of me was a tall man with blonde hair and a slightly shorter woman with short brown hair in a blue dress. "Oooh, who's this little cutie?"

"A man came to the door and gave us the kitten." Stephen said "Can we keep it?" The two adults looked to each other.

"I don't see why not…" The mother said. The father nodded and Dilly started jumping excitedly. I bounced around in the basket meowing in protest. "Dilly calm down! You're shaking the poor thing" The mother picked me up and started stroking me.

"What have you named it?" The father said

"um… we haven't yet…" Jana said thoughtfully.

"Maxwell!" Dilly half yelled

"I thought it was a girl"

"Oh yeah… MAX!" I heard Jana sigh before the mother put me back into my basket to rest.

"Goodnight Maxi, sleep well." The mother said. The rest of that evening was a blur. I partially remember being taken back to Dillys room and being placed at the bottom of her bed. I was drifting in and out of sleep until I fell into a dream.


	6. Chapter 6

-Maxwell's POV-

I had been living with the Rozen family for a month now. My days had been spent lounging on the window sill with Dilly and her mother taking good care of me. Every day after lunch I would be sent out into the fields to catch mice and rats. It was fun the first couple of times… but then I started cheating and using my demon powers to keep them away.

"Maxi! Come back in now!" Dilly called from the window "It's nearly dinner time!" I slinked through the tall grass around the house and pounced up onto the window and into Dillys lap. She carefully stroked my back and then placed me down onto the floor in front of a small bowl of milk and a plate of fish. As I lapped up the milk I could just see their father working on a new doll. I'd only ever seen his completed works when Dilly had taken me into a back room of the house. They weren't exactly the most beautiful of things but you could sense they had been made with love. I wasn't really allowed in there, Dilly snuck me in a couple of times.

I meowed at his feet waiting for him to notice me. He was working on a slightly smaller doll to usual. He gave my ears a scratch before returning his attention to painting the doll. Something wasn't right though… His hands were shaking and he couldn't make strait lines. I could smell something on his clothes.

"Daddy, has Esther visited recently?" Dilly asked. I jumped up onto the arm of his chair and sniffed his arm

"No." I couldn't make it out. I looked down at the doll, it showed a striking resemblance to their mother

"Oh…" I sniffed his hair and around his mouth…

Alcohol. I jumped off the chair and sat on Dillys lap.

This wasn't the first time he had been drunk. He'd come home late a few times and had sent the children to bed before proceding to slap and scream at Dilly's mother. I'd watched from the hallway before going into Dillys room to comfort her.

"Why are you doing this?! Don't you love me any more?!" She screamed back. The sound of another hit was what followed

"No! I don't Alice!" he screamed back "I never did!" The sounds of Alice sobbing reverbarated throughout the house.

The day afterwards Alice had gone to work in the town. She had a job she did there once a week. Normally it was sewing. Rozen didn't like her going, he said he thought she would leave him and never come back, or run off with a different man. Honnestly, I wouldn't have blamed her if she had. Yet she came. And each time he would cry in her lap begging her to forgive him.

"Of course I do… I love you my darling." There was pain in her voice as she said those words. WI'll never leave you."

One night he was drunk again. Alice was late home from work.

"Dilly. Where's your mother?" he asked. I stood on her lap in a defencive possition. If he was drunk I wasn't going to let him hurt Dilly. I would sooner show I was a demon than allow a girls father to hurt her.

"I… I don't know daddy…" She looked worried. He stood up and put down a doll he was working on. "A- are you ok daddy?"

"I'm fine. Go to your room."

"But-" He looked angrily at her and she got up and ran. I was knocked onto the floor. She hadn't had dinner yet. I slinked away as her father walked towards Jana and their mothers room. I walked into the kitchen and turned back into my demon form. I picked up some meat, fish and cooked potatoes and put them in a small napkin. Then I turned back into a cat and picked up the little bag of food in my mouth before walking to Dillys room.

She lay on her bed crying. I jumped onto the edge of the bed and padded her foot.

No response. Sobs emanated from her small chest. I walked over her legs and went up to her face. I dropped the small pouch and nuzzled her face before licking her tears. She sniffed and wiped her eyes. Sitting up she wiped her eyes and stroked me.

"Thanks…" I meowed in response and padded the pouch. "Hmm…?" She reached over and opened it. Her eyes widened and she quickly started forcing food into her tiny mouth.

What I didn't know…

What I couldn't have known…

Was that…

Her mother would soon be dead.

"I'm home"

"Where have you been?!" He screached at her

"I'm sorry I'm late, we had a lot of work today." She said as calmly as she could.

"You were with another man weren't you?" He shouted. he sounded like he was crying.

"Darling I-" a snap sound came from the front room.

Dilly froze. She pulled the covers over her head and started praying. I nuzzled her hand and hoped off the bed. I heard a loud thud. I peeked out the room. I saw him drop a body on the floor.

"Sleep well Alice…" He turned his sights back into the direction of Janas room. I ran to Stephens's room. He had gone to bed early, as had Jana. They'd been working hard today. I nipped at his hands. He started to stir. We had to hurry. I tugged on his sleeve.

"Hey… what's up kitty?" I tugged again and hopped onto the floor and looked up at him. "Want me to feed you?" I meowed in response… If it got him to follow me I'll go along with it. We walked out of the room and I ran towards the living room where his mother was.

"What's up ki-" I could see the shock on his face. I knew he wouldn't be able to understand what he was looking at. But if I could save them…

I tugged on his trouser leg and led him to Dillys room. He was still in shock but he got the hint.

"Dilly… We have to go. Now."

"Why?" Dilly had just finished eating and was wiping her mouth with the clean edge of a napkin.

"It's not safe here. There's a… there's a monster." He sat next to Dilly and held her hands "Dilly, Maxi saw the monster. She showed me the monster. If we don't go now we could be in big big trouble. ok?"

"But what about Jana?" Dilly said shaking and tearing up a little. Stephen looked at me and I shook my head. I had to get them out of here. I heard another thud. My heart sank and I started to panic. I pushed my head against Stephens leg. I could hear his footsteps getting closer. So could they.

"Out the window Dilly, now." He lifted her onto the window ledge and she hopped down. He followed close behind her. I hopped up and watched them run. They were young… I had to buy them time…

"Dilly?" HIS voice filtered through the door. I turned to look at him. His normally well kept hair was messy. In one hand he had a bottle. The smell of Alcohol was stronger. I wrinkled my nose. "Maxi? She's not here is she?" I meowed in response. "Come now, I know your not just some dumb house cat. Why keep up the act?" he chuckled before taking another swig from the bottle.

"How did you work it out?" I said calmly.

"The rats haven't gotten into my workshop for a long time."

"I'm a skilled hunter"

"Or a demon" He laughed "no I give you too much credit."

"You're closer than you realise."

"Ha… say… do you know where my children are?"

"What if I do?" he paused and took another drink

"Then I won't feel bad about killing a kitty." I thought through my options. I have to keep him away from the window. I closed my eyes and concentrated. I could sense Dilly and Stephen were still getting further and further away. They were nearly at the border of the town. When they got there they would probably raise the alarm. I needed to be gone by then. I could also sense… two other souls in the house. They were in the front room.

"That's it" I mumbled. Jumping off of the ledge I ran through his legs and into the front room. I could sense the souls of Alice and Jana. Concentrating I tried to pull them towards me. Two little balls of light floated towards me. "Hey there…"

"Who you talking to kitty?" I was lifted off the ground and held up to his face.

"Your wife" I said as I started transforming back into my demon form. My fur turned into the fringe of my grey and purple stripped dress. I could feel my tail grow longer and my paws turned into hands and feet.

"Hmmhmm… this should be-" I punched him square in the jaw and grabbed the two souls before running into his workshop. I'd seen a mirror there. A gold rimmed one with Onyx gems around it. If I could link it to the N-field…

"So we meet again Maxwell…" I heard my old friend's voice coming from the mirror. "They've given me a pet name in this new world, Laplace."

"Usag-"

"Uh-uh, no time for questions my dear Nekka. Come through, I'll seal the link when you're through." I stepped through and landed in a grand hallway. Usaga closed the link behind me and turned to face me. His usually albino rabbit form had been changed around with a handsome human-esque butler form.

"Welcome my dear"

"Thank you so much Usa"

"Hmmhmm. As you said, I know you too well. I felt you were in trouble so I thought I'd check in with you. Besides, things have been a bit dull here." He continued talking as he led me down the hall towards a large pair of double doors. "Oh, I should let you know, this world is a mirror image of the one you've been in… with a few changes." He knocked and a muffled call came from inside. He pushed the door open and inside sat…

"Alice…? Rozen?" Sat in a large arm chair was a heavily pregnant version of Alice and another Rozen.

"Laplace, who is this?" Alice asked sweetly brushing her long brown hair behind her ear.

"Her name is Maxwell. You remember that realm called the N-field I told you about?"

"The one we're in that connects all other worlds together?"

"Yes, well poor Maxwell has just fallen through your mirror in the hallway from a different place in the N-field."

"Oh my!" Alcie tried to stand up but she sat down again. "Sorry, you'd think I was having triplets with how big I've gotten!" I slowly walked towards her. "Don't be scared my dear, I won't bite!" She said cheerilly. I knelt next to her.

"May I?" I said raising my hand above her somach

"Yes, of course!" She was cheerful but her husband didn't look so sure.

"It's ok Rozen. She's safe" I rested my hand on Alices stomach. Closing my eyes I let myself dirft. Normally with a baby you can feel it's soul… but…

"Laplace…" I said "can you feel… anything?"

"Ah… I thought it was just a mistake on my part but…" We looked to each other. We were stunned. I'd already witnessed two deaths and Laplace had become close to the familly. something knocked against my hand

"Haha! looks like the little one likes you!"

"I…" I suddenly remembered I had Jana and Alices souls. I opened my hand and the two little lights danced around in my palm. I used my other hand to hold up Janas soul. "Laplace. Should I?"

"Well humans do have the concept of re-birth. Maybe this is what they mean."

"What are you two talking about?" Rozen said irritatedly. Laplace motioned for him to come outside and (with a degree of annoyance) Rozen obeyed. Laplace closed the door and nodded to me. I sat there with Alice and wondered how I should say things.

"Alice… in the world I've come from… there was a young woman. She was the happy mother of three. Happilly married to a man… Except he didn't love her back. In the week I spent with them not only were they kind enough to take me in, feed me and keep me warm. They were kind enough to love me as their own. I also saw… how he didn't love them. Sadly the young woman and her middle child… are no longer with us. In a physical form anyway. But… they left me a blessing, that I can now give to you." I held Janas soul over Alice's pregnant belly and slowly, the soul was absorbed and placed into the feotus inside her. "Please look after her." I leant my head on the arm of the arm chair and began to sob violently. I felt Alices warm hand stroke my hair. I clutched onto the last lonely soul and held it close to my chest.

"I'll find a way to bring you back Alice" I thought as I sobbed "I promise"


End file.
